I recently purchased my 2006 e91 325xi, and it has iDrive and the HiFi sound system(which from my reading is the standard system on this year and model). It does not have the center speaker or logic7 anywhere within the iDrive system settings.

I am looking to upgrade the speakers in this car as soon as financially possible. I went from a 98 camry sedan with a tape deck (using mp3 player via tape adapter-->3.5mm jack) and to be honest, I prefer the sound from my old camry, because at least the sounds it full even though it is staticy as louder volumes.

That said, I listen to alt rock music (Foo Fighters, Incubus, Cage the Elephant,etc.) and occasionally delve into nastalgic rap/hiphop as in Dr Dre/Nelly/Eminem from the late 90s. That said, I do not need heavy bass and do not intend to crank bass levels to "drowning out the music" levels. I just want my sound to be level and to be able to hear the lows when applicable.

I have read multiple sites including coming across the speaker list on this forum. I am leaning toward SWS-8's to replace the subs in the back seats, however this leads me to my first and second decisions.
1. Are the SWS-8s, being subwoofers, going to be a good fit for my rock music listening preferences, or should I be going with a mid-bass driver for the 8" slot?
2. If I am already spending $200+ on a pair of these speakers at 4ohms, should I be getting the 2ohm set and adding an amp, or will the 4ohm factory replacements on factory amp/wiring be sufficient for my rock music preferences?

Then, on to the 4" speakers in every door. I Have not been able to read enough to make a decision on the specific model I want to replace with. Should I be looking for mid-bass drivers if I get the SWS-8's for my sub replacements? Is there something other than mid-bass speakers in the 4" size? As you can tell, I have not learned much in this speaker size.

Tweeters: do these need replaced?

Basically, I am not sure where to go, and would appreciate some input from anyone who knows what they are talking about. The options are too much for the time I have to read about this, and I would appreciate an entire models/products scenarios anyone could give. I just dont want to get speakers that don't complement each other.

Also, I HAVE seen BSW's option, and I see that as something similar to Bose in the home theater market: It will satisfy many people for what it is, however with just a bit more effort/knowledge you can have the same quality for cheaper than BSW/Bose's price, or better quality for the same price as BSW/Bose. Correct me if I am wrong here.

GREAT products, GREAT service, GREAT sound, all connectors included, all devices pre-set (except for amplifier gain), all plug-&-play.

I got the Morel Dotech door speakers/tweeters with Jehnert 8" underseat woofers (subs?). The sound is fantastic, and it's now plenty loud enough to listen enjoyably even with 4 windows down & the roof open.

Remember: nobody ever looks back and thinks "gee, I wish I bought a system that wasn't this good"...

The only thing I have left to do is put in the Jehnerts for the underseats.
Morel Dotech are in the doors just finished that today.
I have been testing the setup at each stage of the installation.
Musicar is really the most logical choice in terms of cost , quality , support
for a known tested and complete solutions .
You won't have to go anyplace else for speaker adapter rings, wire harness and it has
factory connectors where needed.
Its totally one stop shopping .
My car is a 2006 e91 .
All the stock speakers are weak but they do sound better with a better amp
although the numbers say you will fry them.

Ken can offer you a number of options so you can build a system to your
tastes.

The following is a pretty good example of what one of the systems looks
like and what the install look likes though it will vary I just used a one
Amp jl600/6 solution

I have contacted musicar via their website. Thanks for the info everyone! I thought I had searched quite a bit on this site and others via google, but this is the first I had heard of musicar. The company seems awesome! Thanks again!

And I have been hanging out here more than a year .
This is the premium e90 stereo website but the answers most
people seek are in here buried somewhere. It to bad that there are not
more basic sticky's at the top that would help people understand
the entertainment system in the car and what there options are.

Also a good resource is the other subforums here found in the following
link

I'm still torn on the rear speakers. I know no one ever sits back there, and even if they do I wouldn't have the radio turned up, but I feel like I should be giving the rear speakers some love. I'm about to order from Ken for the fronts, but I wanted to see if anyone is considering upgrading the rears with their fronts? (I'm assuming yes since you are using a 6 channel amp)

My system is now in and functional I still need to balance the gains.
I have only listened to it maybe and hour now . Initial impressions are
amazingly accurate sound, its better in this respect than my home gear.
I figure I can always do something to the rear speakers later if I even want to
or I could double the power to the underseats.
I didn't want to procrastinate any longer.

I'm still torn on the rear speakers. I know no one ever sits back there, and even if they do I wouldn't have the radio turned up, but I feel like I should be giving the rear speakers some love. I'm about to order from Ken for the fronts, but I wanted to see if anyone is considering upgrading the rears with their fronts? (I'm assuming yes since you are using a 6 channel amp)

i can definitively say i came from an old school mind set of "more speakers, bigger speakers, more powerful amps, yields better". during the upgrade path of my 328 i have learned that more isnt better.

rear speakers are a sham. when you put the right components in your car upfront, the right underseats, driven with the right amps, its going to blow away any 'surround' style set up.

i have Rainbow Profi components up front, Jehnert XE200s all coming off a 4ch zapco amp and the sound is unparallelled to anything ive hear before as far as balance, fullness and clarity.

i know it seems to go against what your instinct is saying but do the upgrade without doing the rears. you'll be impressed. if later your still not impressed you can always add them in.

also, a vote of confidence for VPs kits. you wont find a more fitting upgrade for our cars than from him.

So I am back and have begun making purchases, and in my time since my first inquiries of the board and from VP Electricity, I have spoken with some friends about it and I have more connections than I thought for mobile electronics.

With that said, I purchased a set of Kicker SSMB8's for $165. My other option was having my friend from Germany import the Jehnert XE-200s with spacers already, which would have cost $420 + shipping from Germany. Naturally, I went with the Kicker's as I am hoping there will not be a $300 difference to me. Input is welcome.

I am now trying to determine which amp to settle on. I am only looking to power the front L/R and the underseat mid-bass drivers, so 4 channels. I plan to not power the rear channels at all, so settling on a 4-channel amp is fine with me. However, the options I am honing in on are both by JL, XD600/6 and XD400/4. I can get the 600/6 for about $300-$320, and the 400/4 for about $270, so to me it makes no sense to get the 400/4, and I get an extra 200w to send to the SSMB8's for just ~$50 more on the 600/6. I am welcome to any input on this, as well as other amp suggestions (with rationale on why it would be a better choice, and at what price you think that amp should run).

And finally, speakers for the front L/R. I am open to spending as much as getting the Hybrid Ovation II's ($420 eBay, have not inquired of my German friend just yet), however I have to wonder if they are overkill for the SSMB8's I am running with them, as well as the amp I choose. Should I just get a set of DLS or Rainbows instead? Thoughts? Specific models please!

Also, to Technic, VP Electricity, jtsherri, or others who commonly do adapters/fittings for these: I can't find the option to PM on this forum, so please contact me so that I may order an amp harness and speaker wiring adapters as well as speaker MDF/plastic/steel spacer adapters from you.

Thanks!

Oh, on a side note: I look to do a trunk/cargo area sub in the future and because of my car being the transport-mobile for the dog, I want it to be stealth. This points me to two spots: the under-carpet compartment or the left-side wall area. I have seen a sub installed in the left-side wall, however because that area is limited and doesn't have appropriate enclosure, that doesn't seem ideal. The under-carpet seems quite small to have a driver big enough to really feel over the SSMB8's right under by seat. Thoughts on this also appreciated.

my installer begged me to wait and im glad i took his advice because i feel like the car does not need a trunk sub after driving and tuning the XE200's properly.

Thanks for your input about the Jehnerts, however I already bought the Kicker SSMB8s. Do you think that my experience will be the same, as in "wow, these sound great as is, and I'm glad I didn't shell out for a trunk sub!" ????

Still hoping for input about which 4 or 6 channel amp to go with instead of a JL XD400/4 or XD600/6, as well as input about best bang for buck door speakers/tweeters to optimally pair with SSMB8s, as well as whether Morel Hybrid Ovation IIs would be overkill for the mid-range amp I will likely pair the speakers to.

Also, Technic, jtsherri, or VP Electricity: Please contact me so we can establish pricing for adapters and harnesses for what I will be buying! Thanks!